wesson



@mi 21,933. PATBNTBD APRA?, 1860.

11.,y SMITH a D. B. WE'ssoN.

METALLIC G ARTRLDGB.

/nvnon' ,f7/Messes miran STATES'.

P'IE INT @Faxen :Jonson SMITH AND DANIEL B. WEssos, 0F sPING'FIEL, Mass..

Mraovnmnn IN FILLING MErALLIc een'rmnens.-

Specificationforminpartof Letters Patent` No.' 27,933,'aimed April 17, 1816i).

To ail whom it may concern Be it known that we, HORACE SMITH and DANIEL B, Wesson, of Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State ofMassachutsetts, have invented certain Improvements in Metallic Cartridges and in the method of,

charging the same with fuiminating powder, ot' which the-followingisa full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which i K Figure i is a view of a revolving pistol in which our improved cartridge is used. Fig. 2, a section through t/he revolving cylinder and one of the cartridges with the bull attached.

Fi g. 3, alongitudi nal section, enlarged, through inlminate was spread in a thin layer over the interior of the base of the cartridge, as shown at a, and held in place by awasher of thin metal, c, or other material. i

This description ofeartridge is not adapted for a revolving pistol, as shown' iu.Fig. 1. ,In this pistol, Figs. 1 and 2, chambers are bored throughthe revolving cylinder A and the cartridge is inserted from the rear, one of which is shown at c, Fig. 2. l

The iiangebase of this cartridge projects beyond the rear ot' the chamber and occupies the space between the'cylinder and the 'recoilplato f. The explosion of these cartridges from the blow of the hammer causes the base to bulge out, as shown in Fig. 4, by which means the cylinder is jammed and prevented from revolving freely.

Metallic cartridges structed with a milled washer inserted in their base, and the fulminate contained between the projections and depressions around the edges ot' the washer and the interior surface of `the cartridge at its base; but these cartridges are not adapted' to the cylinder used in our arm in which the chamberextends entirely through.

Metallic cartridges have also been constructed with a hollow flanged annular base and the t'nlminate contained in a hollow ring, which is inserted in the hollow annular base have also been con of the cartridge, buttbis description of car trldge 1s expensive and the construction dangerous from the diiicultyof closing andwturning the ring after the i'nlminatc is introduced,

without explosion.' y

. To4 obvlate these objections is the object ot"i our present invention, vwhich consists. in making. the cartridge-case with n projecting 11a-nge, g, Fig. 3, around its base, so as to form an annular recess, o', invwhich the fuhniuating powder is placed, the fulminnte from thev central portion of tlievhead being removed.

v AThat others skilled in the art may under' stand and use our invention, we will proceed to describe the manner iuwhich we have earried out the same. ff Y In the drawings, Fig. krepresents au ,en-

larged section through one ot' our improved"- cartridges charged and having the ball nt-` tached k is the cartridge, which is a cylinder` ot' thinvcopper or other suitable instal, the

base 'or head ot' which is somewhat larger in diameter, than the cylinder, and is formed with a flange or rim, g, where it joins with the cylindrical part h,`so thatthero is an annular space or hollow ring, z', formed 4around the base of the cylinder. Into this 'annular space, i,

the fulminatin g powder'is'forced. l Fig. 6 represents the .tool which we employ; for the purpose; it is ot' a size suited to the.' cartridge shown in Fig. 2. l" A portion of the tool at one end iscut away;` as atl, and as it is revolved in the cylinder h, inthe direction of the arrow, 'the fulminating powder is forced out i'nto the annular 'space i. After-.thtulminate is thus pressed into place it isto be permanently secured there,aud this may be eec'ted by a wad, m, of paper, leather, or other' suitable material, which is forced' down to the-bottom of the cylinder h, as shown 'in Fig. 3; this wad may be nfade with 'n hole through the middle of it, which hole may then be occupied by gunpowder, and thus the iirefrom the fulminating powderwill be communicated with greater surety to the gunpowder with which the cartridge-canela is all most entirely llcd, asatp, Fig. 3. After the guupowder is inscrted,the ball c', is attached to the cartridge. This ball which is of the elongated conoidal forni, is ot' such a diameter atl its base as to fit snugly into the cartridgecase; it has several grooves, o, around its cir j which the edge of the case It is pressed as at n, Fig. 3, by m ans of a suitable tool orswage;

' this secures the ball firmly to the cartridge.

. After the fulmiuating powder has been in-y serted in the annular space '17, the cartridge is placed in a tool having a hole ofa suitable diameter to receive the cylindrical part 71L of the cartridge; a light pressure is then put upon the head to compress the flange g, and oring the metal intd closer contact with the fnlminate. The blow of the hammer is thus rendered more etfective and lthe discharge more certain.

` When the percussion-powder is thus confined its explosion does not cause the head of the cartridge to protrude, as before described, and the diicnlty arising therefrom is entirely -obviated.

In introducing the fnllninate into the angular projecting base without previously inclosing it in a hollow ring a much'less expensive and equally efectivc cartridge is produced.

-Ic is obvious um 'in lieu of the nad other" means may he adopted for the purpose of conlining the fulminate in place and of preveuting it from being rattled or jarred out when dry, without altering the spirit of our invention. For example, a at metallic ring, Fig. 7, of a diameter that will just drop to the bottom of the cartridge-case and close the recess li, may be employed, or the surface of the fulminate may be varnshed and thus he preven ted\ from cracking and falling out.

What we claim as our invention, and desir to secure by Letters Patent, isl A cartridge in which the fulminate is contained in the hollow annular projecting base, substantially as described, without being previonsly nclosed in a hollow metallic ring.

HORACE SMITH. DANIEL B. WESSON. 

